Siege of York (1080)

The Siege of York occurred in 1080 when the army of King William the Conqueror of England, led by his son Prince Rufus (the future King William II of England), besieged the rebel settlement of York in northern England. The English army of 508 troops stormed the undefended city and fought against Captain Simon's 346 rebels, who fought to the death against the English army.

Background
Norman duke William the Conqueror's seizure of power in England in 1066 did not go unopposed from the ruling Anglo-Saxons, who were not ready to welcome a foreigner sitting on the throne of England. The Normans had to fight several rebellions, including those of Morcar of Northumbria and Eadric the Wild, and the uprisings went on into the 1070s and 1080s. King William was cruel towards those who opposed him, often replacing rebellious English nobles with his own Norman companions, and the Anglo-Normans became the new rulers of England. In 1080, William the Conqueror's son Prince Rufus (who would become King William II of England on William the Conqueror's death) was dispatched with an army of 508 troops to besiege the city of York, which was defended by 346 rebels. The city was undefended, allowing for a Norman assault.

Siege
York had no defensive fortifications, making it easy for the English army to devise a plan for their assault on the city. The majority of the force would advance on York from the south, while another force would swing around from the east and push towards the town square, where the Yorkish forces were gathering. The English assault went as planned, but the battle devolved into a long period of bloody melee slaughter. The two sides fought until the rebels were completely wiped out, and their leader Simon was among the dead. The rebellion was quelled, and York was converted into a castle and developed.